Vogts Come to Visit
Vern and Debra made a 2-wheel 4,000 mile trek
this summer and visited with us. We had such a good time enjoying the
great food and wine at Trattoria Monaco. Next day we toured Loveland's
sculpture park and hiked Lory State Park with a beautiful view of
Horsetooth Lake. Then we toured the micro-breweries in Ft. Collins and
enjoyed a scotch sampler at Stonehouse, a Scottish restaurant. On
Sunday, Deb cooked a delicious pesto sauce and I barbecued London Broil
- one with a rub of cumin seed, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili pepper,
onion powder, parsley, garlic and celery salt, and the other with a
teriyaki-sesame marinade. We look forward to another visit soon.
Another Great Halloween
After a perfect night of trick-or-treating with 7
wonderful kids, we packed into the Saturn Outlook for dinner at
Applebees.
(Check out our Photo
Gallery)
Mom and I had a
fabulous time celebrating Kim's 50th birthday at the St. Francis Yacht
Club. You and Mark have such wonderful children.
Thanksgiving was
especially enjoyable in CO, with a wonderful meal at Art and Roxie's.
Mom looked great and all had fun, especially Paul, who played football
with the kids. Our eldest godson, Nic, became a proud father this year,
with beautiful Madison. Later that weekend, mom, Gary, Jason, Cris,
Jordan and I had a great meal at Kinkaid's and we went go-carting in
Antioch.
Cudos to the
incredible entertainers of the 35th TB Extravaganza. Please visit:
(http://toiletbowl35.shutterfly.com) and use password bhs to enter.
Mom and I took Jordan to Granite Bay where we
visited with Gary. Mom made beautiful holiday decorations for dad,
Tony and Phillie. Jordan made us so very proud of him that
weekend.
We were sorry to have to change plans and miss
dinner with Doug and Lynn and the annual Christmas Party hosted by the
Levison's. May our next get-together be soon.
Diamond was Louie's
daddy’s dog and Aunt Dianna took her in when Louie's daddy went to
heaven. Diamond was so very loyal to Aunt Dianna, willing to protect
her from anyone who went near her, especially her husband. Louie will
always love Diamond and he is glad that she is now in heaven keeping his
dad company.
2009 Highlights
Started the year at a great dinner party at the Merrills for New Year's
Eve, followed by dancing and laughter all night and into the morn.
Dianna and I enjoyed seeing Earth (a movie about
the miracle of life on this planet) with Koko Head, Little, Raspy,
Austin and deMichael.
Paul presented a whitepaper to the IEEE
Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology and we had a fun dinner
with the Wulfert’s at Z Tejas afterwards.
Dianna rented a cabin in Estes Park and we had a
wonderful dinner at Mary’s Lake Lodge, in the Chalet Room. Afterwards,
we watched Cadillac Man and had a cozy night together in the mountains.
In the morning, we drove Trail Ridge Road (the highest contiguously
paved road in North America) taking photos and heading above treeline.
Before heading back down the mountain, we watched Caddyshack.
Yet another birthday celebration for us, at
Lucetti's with mom, Jason, Cris & Jordan. You spoiled us!!!
Martha, Jess and
Jason came to visit Dianna and me in San Francisco and we had a blast
touring the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Cliff House, Haight-Ashbury,
Pacific Heights, Lombard Street, Little Italy, Fisherman's Warf and Pier
39. Mom, Gary, Jason, Cris and Jordan joined us for a terrific day
at Domaine Chandon and Mondavi, Grgich and Rutherford wineries. Cris and
Jason hosted a brunch for them the next day. Looking forward to
another SF Bay visit again soon.
Celebrations
We had
many memorable milestone celebrations this year. Little (Michael) turned 10
years old and we had delicious buuuurrrrrrrrgers at Henry’s and played
golf at Cattail. Then, after keeping the guests waiting, Little
and I finally made it to his party at his home.
Dianna and I celebrated Trev-man’s 16th birthday! I tried to lift him
over my head like I used to when he was a child, but only got part of
the way. What a fine young man Trev has grown to be.
Nic prepared an
elaborate 11-course gourmet meal for 30 of us with Art and me as helpers to celebrate my 50th.
It was a thrill to watch such a pro create mouth-watering meals for all
to enjoy.
We got to enjoy Matt's 30th birthday this year at a
delicious Uncle Gino and Aunt Joyce barbecue.
We threw a party for Koko Head's and Benny Bear’s 6th
Birthday, on July 4th. Everyone enjoyed the Slip and Slide, piñata,
stick-the-tail-on-the-donkey and balloon races.
Gogo’s birthday dinner
was a lot of fun and Vica and her family were visiting to add to the
celebration. The menu included baked brie, shrimp scampi, crab cioppino,
marinated rib-eye roast and sautéed veggies.
Dianna and I had a
romantic get-away to Alps Boulder Canyon Inn and dinner at L’Atelier for
Dianna’s 50th birthday.
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Dianna and Paul had a most
romantic 19th wedding anniversary in Italy. Please visit:
http://www.ppanepinto.com/html/Italia_2009.aspx
Gary Throws D+P Best 50th Party
Gary threw an extraordinary 50th birthday party for Dianna and
me. In an elaborate rouse, Frank and Karen asked to take us to dinner to celebrate our
birthdays and I never suspected they were part of a plan to surprise me.
Dianna arranged for Aunt Cathy and Martha to visit and the Merrills also
made the trip from CO for the grand event.
I made it difficult to keep the surprise. I
changed flight plans to the same flight as Aunt Cathy and Martha;
I refused to rent a car; I booked a hotel several miles away; and, I
thought nothing of running late, since I didn't know a hundred guests
were waiting for us at Rocca Ristorante in Burlingame.
The first thing I noticed when I walked in was Doug
P. I was so surprised to see him, that I didn't see all the other
people. Then, I saw Rusty and heard everyone yell SURPRISE!
Check out the photos at
http://pnd4ever.shutterfly.com/ and use password: pnd1959.
Thank you, Gary, for making such a fine
celebration for us. Thank you mom, Jason and Cris for all the
planning and gifts and picture-taking. Thank you family and friends for your part in
the surprise and special thanks to those that came from far away.
You mean a great deal to Dianna and me.
305 lbs. @ 50 Years
Gary was the
perfect weightlifting spotter, helping Paul lift his personal best on
bench this year!
Seasons Greetings